Individual sail device



0d. 22, 1935. c A b 2,018,062

INDIVIDUAL SAIL DEVICE Filed June 3, 1935 l 3 INVENTOR. I E CasperJ/ardf, ix 5 ?9 2 9 I o O W \O] K?) ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a sail device for attachment to the body of a skater for the purpose of propelling the person forward.

An object of the invention is to provide a suitable supporting frame so formed as to be readily applicable to a persons body and to provide an arrangement whereby this frame forms a support for a sail in such manner that the sail may be readily collapsed when desired. It is also an object to so form the frame that it may be conveniently slipped over the head and shoulders of the skater and rest upon his shoulders in such manner that under the wind pressure upon the sail it will be unnecessary for the skater to hold the frame in place.

A further object is to provide suitable means for spreading the sail and holding it in extended position and which means may be readily released and the sail permitted to collapse, the device being of simple construction having certain new and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully set forth and shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device showing the sail in extended position;

Fig. 2'is a plan view of the upper end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device illustrating its application in use;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially upon the line 44 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the device showing the same with the sail collapsed.

In the drawing a suitable frame is shown for supporting a sail I, which may be of any desired shape and construction, and this sail at its lower end is secured in any suitable manner to a cross bar 2, located at the lower end of a supporting frame comprising parallel vertical side members or bars 3 which are connected together a short distance above the bar 2 by means of a suitable ring or band 4 which is of a size and shape to readily receive the body of a person and encircle his body at approximately the zone of his hips.

Rigidly secured to the front portion of this ring 4 are two upright bars 5 arranged in parallelism with the bars 3 and suitably spaced therefrom to receive between these bars 3 and 5 the body of the user, the upper ends of the bars 5 being curved backwardly in the form of a semi-circle, as at 6, to rest upon the shoulders of the user, and to stiffen .and strengthen the upper ends of the bars 3, brace bars I are secured to the semicircular upper ends 6 of the bars 5 and extend upwardly with their upper ends secured to the upper ends of the bars 3.

The brace bars I, as pointed out, are secured at their upper ends to the extreme upper ends of the bars 3 and this is by means of bolts 8 which pass through the bars and also form pivots for swinging spars 9. The spars being thus piv- 5 otally supported between the ends of the braces 7 and the upper ends of the bars 3, with their inner ends or short arms extending toward each other and their long or outer ends extending laterally in opposite directions and to which the 10 upper edge of the sail I is secured. The upper ends of the bars 3 are also connected to lend strength to the frame by means of a cross bar l0 and the frame is further reinforced by cross bars H and I2, the bar ll being secured to the bars 5 15 where they merge into the curved portions 6 of their upper end and the bar 12 is secured at its ends to the bars 3 substantially in a horizontal plane of the cross bars I I at the back of the person using the device, this bar being located 20 preferably across his shoulder blades.

As the spars 9 are thus pivotally supported at 8, they are free to swing downwardly and thus collapse the sail so that the sail will lie at the back of the person and the frame will form a 25 support therefor when in this collapsed condition. To hold the spars 9 in extended position, a cord or cable I3 is attached to the inner ends of the short arms of the spars and this cord is passed around a pulley I 4 to which a chain or other similar device l5 having loops or eyes I6, these eyes being adapted to engage a pin I! on the back of the loop or ring 4 to hold the spars in extended position and so that the cord may be readily released to allow the long arms of the spars to swing downwardly and collapse the'sail.

With this arrangement a very simple device is provided and one in which the frame is so constructed that it is applied in use by simply passing the head and shoulders through the loop or 40 ring 4; no fastening means to the body of the wearer being necessary as the frame will rest upon the shoulder of the person and due to the arrangement of the pull cord l3 the sail may be collapsed or extended at will by the person sim- 45 ply grasping the pull chain 15 at his back and engaging one of the eyes of the chain with the pin I! to hold the spars in extend position or the spars may be permitted to collapse by simply disengaging the chain from the pin.

Obviously changes may be made in the specific construction and arrangement shown without departing from the spirit of the invention and I do not therefore wish to limit myself to the particular construction disclosed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claimisz- 1. A device for the purpose described including a rectangular frame, a sail carried by said frame, a ring-shaped member secured to the frame to embrace the body of the person, and means on the frame for engaging over and resting upon the shoulders of the user of the device.

'2. A device for the purpose described comprising. a frame including upright members and transverse connecting members, said frame including means for engaging over the shoulders of the user and for embracing his body to hold the 1 frame in an upright position against the back of the user, a transverse spar pivotally attached to a the upper end of said frame, and asail secured-- at its upper end to said spar and at itslowerlend to one of said transverse members at the lower end of the frame.

3. A device for the purpose described comprising a vertical frame inoludingmeans for embracing the body of the user to hold the frame in place against his back, spar members pivotally attached to the upper end of said frame for downward swinging movement at each side of the frame, and a sail secured at its upper end to said spar members and at its lower end to the lower end of the frame;

4. A device forothe purpose described including an upright frame forattachment to the body of the user, means on said frame for engaging over and resting upon the shoulders of the user, an oval-shaped ring member on the frame to encircle the users body at his hips, a spar comprising two parts, each pivotally attached intermediate its ends to the upper end of said frame to extend laterally from the frame with their short arms. extending toward each other, a sail 'secured at its upper end to the laterally extending long arms of the members of the spar and at its lower end to the lower end of said frame, and means for swinging said arms of the spar members upon their pivots,'said means comprising a pull cord attached to the short arms of the spar members and extending downwardly adjacent the frame and at the back of the person.

5. A device for the purpose described, compris- 5 ing an upright frame, a rigid ring member secured at one side to said frame to embrace the body of the user and to whichvertical members are secured at their lower ends with their upper ends curved to rest upon the shoulders of the user with their rear ends secured to theframe,

a two part spar with each part pivotally attached tothe upper end of the frame, and a sail secured to the long arms of the parts of the spar at the upper end of said sail, and at its lower end to the lower end of the frame.

" "6. Ina device for the purpose described, the

l combin'ationof a supporting frame formed of parallelupright bars and transverse connecting bars, an oval-shaped loop member secured to said upright members of the frame and adapted to receive the body of the user, parallel bars secured at their lower ends to the forward portionof the oval-shaped member and extending upward therefrom with their upper ends curved rearwardly with their rear ends secured to the upright members of the frame for the purpose of resting upon the shoulders of the user, a two part spar pivotally attached to the upper end of the vertical bars of the frame with the long arms of the bars of the spar extending laterally from the frame and the short armsof the spar members extending inwardly toward each other, :asail secured at its upper end to. the spar members and at its lower end to the lower end of the '35.

frame, and'means for turning the members of the spar upon t eir pivotal supports, said means comprising a pull cord secured to said ends and extending dovmwardly of the frame andmeans for adjustably connecting said cord to the frame 40 adjacent its lower end.

CASPER HARDT. V 

